St. Louis Cardinals Draft: First Rounders

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It took 27 picks and nearly three hours to get to it, but finally the St. Louis Cardinals selected Right-Handed Pitcher Luke Weaver from Florida State. It was no surprise that Weaver became a Cardinal. Recent success with Michael Wacha, Marco Gonzales, and Tim Cooney shows that the Cardinals are fond of polished college pitchers.

Luke Weaver’s scouting report is as followed: at 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds he has room to grow and bulk up. His fastball hits mid-to-high 90’s and he has command of all four of his pitches that he uses.

His most effective pitch that Weaver is projected to develop is his hard slider that hits low 80’s. At times it doesn’t break, leaving him exposed on a rare occasion, but it is believed he will develop it in the minors.

Luke Weaver’s changeup is also effective due to his low 80’s, high 70’s speed and the ability to get good movement on his changeup.

Overall, Luke Weaver is projected to be a starter in a couple years for the Cardinals, if he can crack the deep ranks of the rotation.

Next at 34th overall, as a compensation pick for Carlos Beltran, is Jack Flaherty, a righthanded pitcher from Harvard-Westlake High School. Though he is a commit to North Carolina, the Cardinals are hoping this right-hander, who is 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, will be persuaded to de-commit and sign a deal with the Cardinals. He did play third base in high school but will be asked to switch fully to the mound and develop his pitching, in particular, his off-speed pitches.

That is all for round one. Expect Luke Weaver to be fast tracked like Wacha, Gonzales, and Cooney, while Flaherty will have to be signed from North Carolina and work his way up the same way Shelby Miller was and Rob Kaminsky (who was one of two first rounders last year) currently is.